Chapter 31

Trolley Problem


Blood pooled in front of the fort. Numerous bodies were splayed on the grimy stone floor, crimson dripping out of the numerous gashes and blows that dotted their flesh. A primal scream echoed throughout the hall, followed by a thud as a weasel's severed leg fell to the ground.

The weasel gasped, pulling themselves towards the door to get away from the monster behind them. A shadow engulfed their vision. The weasel twisted his view behind them and screamed. The heavy blade of an axe silenced them. A footpaw propped itself against the weasel's deformed face, pulling the axe out of the corpse with a sickening crack.

A beast kicked the corpse aside, growling as it dragged its axe across the floor, blood dripping off the blade. It ambled through the hallway, stepping over puddles of blood as it made its way towards its goal.

There was a door. It tried the doorknob. It was barricaded shut. A snarl escaped its throat as it raised the axe, swinging the blade into the wooden door. The door splintered open, sending flecks into the face of a fox on the other end.

It grinned. The fox whimpered and backed away. It swung again. And again. And again. The fox looked around frantically for an escape but there wasn't one. He picked up a dropped dagger and raised it. The door was torn open, allowing the monstrous beast to amble in. The fox screamed, dashing forward with the dagger. With a roar of satisfaction, the monster swung the axe, splitting the fox's paw in two. The fox screamed and dropped the dagger, crumpling to the floor. A throaty chuckle escaped the monster's throat as he padded up to the fox, who shut his eyes.

The fox was pulled up by the collar of his tunic and thrown against a wall. He yelped with pain, curling up into a ball. He opened his eyes just enough to see the hulking beast raise its axe. He shut his eyes, waiting for the end.

"Where is she?" It snarled.

The fox shook his head, opening his eyes for a moment to come face-to-face with a large mountain hare- Ahlrath Palaechia. "I dunno!"

Growling, Ahlrath pulled the fox into the air as if he were a ragdoll and brought the axe blade close to his eye. "Liar. Tell me where she is. Ah know ye know somethin'."

"I don't!" The fox screamed. "I really don't!"

With little compunction, Ahlrath dug the blade into the fox's eye. The fox thrashed around and screamed, but the mountain hare's grip was like iron. There was no way the fox could escape.

"Ah willnae ask again," the hare growled. "Where. Is. She?"

He was met with frantic whimpering from the fox. He clutched his face, pawing at his ruined eye before answering, "A fox killed her an' dumped her off th'cliff, I swear that's all I-"

The mountain hare slowly brought the axe to the other eye. "Dinnae lie tae me. Emmeline's the toughest hare ah know. There's no way anybeast could best her."

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The fox hesitated, but with a blade nearing his eye, he answered, "The wildcat had something t'do wit' it. I dunno anythin' beyond that, I promise! Please!"

"What's his name?"

"I don't know!"

"Ye worked wit' him, didn'tcha?"

"I did, but he didn't tell me his name. He asked me t'use a nickname!"

"What's he look like?"

"Black fur, yellow eyes, he wore a blue coat."

Ahlrath narrowed his eyes. The fox's struggle started to weaken. Growling, Ahlrath twisted the fox's neck, killing him instantly. He dropped the body and left the room. As the rage started to dissipate, he saw the carnage he had left. Bodies littered the hall, most of them broken and twisted. Ahlrath shut his eyes and took a deep breath. His fingers reached for the locket around his neck. Inside was a portrait of two mountain hares. He stared at the picture, then back up at the carnage.

He was going to find her, no matter how many bodies he left in his wake.


"Hey. Hey. Hey."

Ahlrath Palaechia woke up as a paw prodded his cheek. His eyes opened, shining with the cold light of determination before warming when he saw who it was.

Toran Firepool drew his paw away and let his arm fall to his sides. Ahlrath smiled sheepishly and waved slightly. Toran blinked and dropped the fish he was holding to wave back.

"Good mornin', lad." Ahlrath stretched his muscles and sat up.

Toran tapped the mountain hare on the shoulder. "Hey."

"What is it?" Ahlrath asked.

Toran took another look around the camp and asked, "Where is everyone?"

Ahlrath furrowed a brow and turned. Art, Durkfor, and Midwyng were gone. "Good question."

"Do you think they went to find food?" Toran suggested. Ahlrath shrugged. Toran stood around for a few seconds before dragging the fish closer and sitting next to Ahlrath.

"Where'dje get that?" Ahlrath asked, gazing at the fish Toran had dragged over.

The otter stared at it and answered, "I found it."

Ahlrath sighed. "Toran, ah dinnae want ye tae scamper off on yer own like that. Ye could've gotten hurt."

Toran shuffled in his seat. "Sorry. I thought you'd want food, though."

Ahlrath scratched his neck fur. He wasn't hungry enough to care, nor was he that enthused about fish. He was pretty sure he couldn't digest it, so it wasn't as if it would help him in any way besides making his stomach hurt a bit less. Besides, there were plants everywhere. Even with all that in mind, Ahlrath nodded. "Hm, thanks." Toran pulled the fish in front of Ahlrath. The mountain hare reached over and took it with a grimace.

Toran cocked his head. "Are you alright?"

Ahlrath nodded, gingerly pulling the fish out of Toran's small paws. "Aye, ah'm fine."

The otter clasped his paws in front of him, staring at the mountain hare patiently. "What?" Ahlrath asked. "Do ye want me tae cook this, or somethin'?"

Toran shrugged. "I dunno."

Ahlrath held the fish up with uncertainty. "Ah can, if ye want."

"Do you want it cooked?" Toran asked.

"Ah dinnae mind. Why'd ye want it cooked, earlier?"

"I thought you'd like it like that?" Toran answered.

The two beasts stared at each other for a bit. Ahlrath sighed and thought, come on, why's somethin' as simple as decidin' how tae eat this fish causin' ye so much trouble?

"Well, let's eat quick and then search fer the others, aye?" Ahlrath suggested.

Toran kneaded his paws together. "Can you cut my fish for me?"

"Huh?" Ahlrath furrowed a brow. Ye can go off on yer own and catch a fish but'che cannae cut it yerself? Alright, He thought. Do kids, uh… how much do I need tae cut this?

"The bones and insides and stuff," Toran explained.

Ahlrath nodded. "Got it." Toran watched with morbid curiosity as the large mountain hare picked up the fish and began tearing into it as if it were made of sand. Toran self-consciously pulled his cloak over his thin arms.

"How'd you get so strong?" Toran asked.

"Hm?" Ahlrath looked up from the fish he was separating. Faintly, he felt the heavy weight of the axe in his paws. "… Running."

Toran gazed owlishly at the hare for a moment. "Do beasts stop trying to hurt you once you're strong?"

Ahlrath paused. "It… depends."

"What do you mean?"

"Just make sure ye dinnae hurt anybeast, Toran. Nobeast that ye need tae, at least."

Toran looked at Ahlrath's claws and then at his large frame. "Did you…?"

Ahlrath nodded stiffly. "Aye. So try tae stay outta trouble. Ah mean it." It's really not worth it.

"Oh." Toran immediately shut up, placing his paws in his lap. Ahlrath eventually finished separating the fish and set most of the pieces in front of Toran. The otter stared at it for a moment. I thought he would just remove the bones. Why'd he remove… almost everything?

Nevertheless, the pair began to eat. Ahlrath wasn't worried about saving any for the other three, mainly because he was sure they couldn't actually eat it either. Still, Toran took the time to find this so it felt only right to eat a little bit of it. Ahlrath noticed Toran staring at him and said, "Need somethin'?"

Toran fidgeted with his cloak. "If I ever get strong, will I have to fight beasts?"

Ahlrath stifled a chuckle. "Nae, why would ye need tae?"

Toran shrugged as he picked at his food. "I dunno. Maybe when mean beasts try to hurt your friends?"

"Ah. Right." Ahlrath shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Ye dinnae have tae worry 'bout that right now. Yer still a kid."

The corner of Toran's mouth twitched. "Oh. What should I be doing, then?"

"Ye dinnae have tae be doing anything."

"But I want to. I suck at everything," Toran deadpanned.

"Nae, ye don'," Ahlrath declared.

Toran gave him a sceptical look and motioned towards the pieces of fish in front of Ahlrath. It had barely been eaten. The mountain hare sighed. "Look, that's not yer fault."

"Did I catch a bad fish?" Toran asked.

"Nae, ah… dinnae like fish."

Toran tilted his head. "Why? You ate the one I caught yesterday."

Ah dinnae want tae make ye feel bad. "Let's no' focus on that. There are ways for ye tae help wit'out fightin' or fishin', but ye dinnae have tae help at all. Ah can handle it."

Toran stared up at him guiltily. Ahlrath responded by patting him on the back and saying, "Hey, if ye want tae help, help me find the three idiots who left our camp, aye?"

The otter nodded slowly and stood up, keeping his arms close to his body. "Come on," Ahlrath said. "They probably went that way. Stay close, keep an eye out."


The paw prints Ahlrath found in the mud earlier were scuffed as if somebeast were running in a panic. It made sense, considering what happened hours before.

Ahlrath knew his mark was somewhere in the area if the broken branches halfway up that tree were any indication. Presumably, they attempted to climb a tree to either hide or get a bearing on their location. Ahlrath looked down at a set of drag marks. It seems that they fell while climbing and hurt their legs. Finding them was going to be a lot easier than he thought.

A feral growl rumbled in the mountain hare's throat as he adjusted his grip on his axe. He followed a path of trampled undergrowth and looked up at the sun. It had been approximately three hours since he left the fort. It was noon and the middle of summer. Ahlrath grinned. His target was probably getting thirsty. Once the trail met its end, he headed towards a river he had seen earlier. He knew he was getting closer. He just had to keep going…


"Oh lord, what've they been doin'?" Ahlrath muttered as he crouched next to the small spatter of blood on the ground. Tracking the other three turned out to be a lot easier than he was expecting. Immediately after leaving the camp, he noticed drag marks in the dirt about the size of an adult male hare.

Toran walked up to the blood and noted, "This isn't old."

"Aye," Ahlrath agreed with a slight grimace. Well, one mystery was solved, they figured out why Durkfor left the camp. Many more questions were left in its place, however.

"Was he hurt?" Toran asked with a shiver.

Ahlrath shook his head slowly. "We dinnae know fer sure whose blood that is." He gave a comforting nod to the otter, but Ahlrath stared at the way the blood had been smeared. It seemed like somebeast was slashed and smudged the resulting blood in a struggle. To make things worse, the lack of any defined paw marks suggests they may have been restrained. The mountain hare sighed. What use would somebeast have to hurt Durkfor? Per what happened in the brig, none of the guards were allowed to hurt Durkfor…

Ahlrath scowled, clenching his paws as he recalled the two other prisoners who had vanished. "Toran. Keep an eye out. Whatever ye do, stay close. Aye?"

Toran nodded, inching away from the blood. "Alright. Are we fine?"

"We'll be fine, just be careful." Ahlrath paused, debating whether to tell Toran. No, he shouldn't hide it. Toran needed to know. "If ye see Art or the bat, dinnae trust 'em. Got it?"

"I won't," Toran immediately replied. "What's going on?"

Ahlrath stared at the drag marks with his teeth bared. "Ah think ah know where they went. C'mon. We need tae be fast." Without wasting any more time, Ahlrath and Toran dashed towards the tower. Something that stuck out to Ahlrath was that Art said Lavaris (Or Ravi, as he apparently changed his name when he moved to Mossflower) had taught him a lot. On a personal level, Ahlrath and Lavaris got along quite well, but dear God, if Art was anything like him, Ahlrath knew they didn't have a lot of time to spare before things got bad…


27 seasons before the ship's crash


Moonlight glinted off the locket in Ahlrath's paws as he held it in front of his face, getting just enough light to see the two hares painted inside. The mountain hare slumped against the walls of the abandoned lookout tower and let the locket fall on his chest. With his attention focused back on the room he was in, he saw the mouse sitting against the other wall, staring at him inquisitively.

"Feeling homesick again?" The mouse, Lavaris, asked.

Ahlrath scowled and placed a paw over his chest. "Aye. Ah wanted tae punch our 'great an' all-knowing leader' when he said we'd have tae spend another moon here. Lord, we're not supposed tae be here fer this long."

Lavaris nodded in understanding. The grin slowly forming on his face was a bit disconcerting, though. "What if I told you I had an idea that might get all of us home faster?"

Ahlrath raised a brow sceptically but decided to humour him. It wasn't as if his mood could get worse. "What is it?"

The mouse's smile grew seeing the hare's ears twitch in his direction. "What happens if a leader has nobeast supporting them?"

"Ah dunno," Ahlrath grumbled. "Where are ye goin' wit' this?"

"Answer the question."

Ahlrath rolled his eyes. "Well, wit'out any supporters, they lose most o' their power. That, or they get overthrown an' get their heads lopped off."

Lavaris nodded. "Yes. Now, what happens if even the beasts closest to said leader hate their guts? What happens if absolutely no one thinks the leader is stable or fit to rule?"

"Ah can see where yer goin' wit' this, so 'fore ye say anythin', 'tis impossible tae turn those headless roosters against him. Aye, they dislike him, but no' enough tae pull off a mutiny. They've got too much tae lose"

"That's where you're wrong," Lavaris bared his teeth. "Follow me."

Ahlrath narrowed his eyes. Part of him wanted to stay seated, but if there was a chance for him to go home early, then he might as well check it out. The mountain hare stood up, following Lavaris to the window overlooking the snow-capped pines. In the distance, he saw the stone brick castle with a dark wooden manor awkwardly attached to it. Ahlrath began to growl, staring at the dwelling holding beasts that were definitely sleeping lighter than he was. More importantly, it held the lord they were sent here to help overthrow.

"Ah see the castle. So what?" He snapped.

"I'll make this quick," Lavaris assured, "We kill the prince, frame the lord, and once the word gets out, not even the most staunch beasts at the castle will tolerate him. He'd be tossed off the south cliff in a few days, max."

The matter-of-fact way that Lavaris delivered his plan made Ahlrath flinch. "Ye want tae kill the lad?" He raised his voice. "He's eight!"

Lavaris nodded. "Exactly! Everybeast would be so mad. Look, I already planned out a way to frame him, and support has been creaky ever since he allegedly tossed one of his advisors in prison in a bout of paranoia. Imagine if he killed his kin. I highly doubt anybeast would want to work with him then. Kid's pretty popular too, even if it's just because he's not downright insane like his father."

"What the hell are ye sayin'?"

"What are you getting so mad about? Look, now is the perfect time to do this because everybeast is on edge." Before Ahlrath could speak, Lavaris walked to the food crate in the corner of the room and lifted the top. Ahlrath grimaced as the mouse pulled out a grappling hook along with a decorative dagger.

Ahlrath lowered his voice, staring deep into the mouse's eyes. "Where did ye get that? We've only been in that castle once."

Lavaris tapped the dagger against the hook and feigned a look of surprise. "Oh, wait, who is the only one who should have access to these, again? Let's just say I've been planning this out for a while." Ahlrath slowly stood up, clenching his fists tightly as he towered over the mouse. Lavaris' smile withered. "I'm guessing you-"

Ahlrath's paw shot out with a heavy thud, knocking the mouse to the floor. "Ow, damn it! What was that for?"

"What was that fer? Yer askin' me tae murder a bloody child!" Ahlrath snarled.

"So? His father is a monster and I have no doubt that he'll turn out the same."

"He's eight! Ye want tae kill an eight-year-old! He's innocent!"

"Ahlrath, look," Lavaris snapped, rubbing his cheek. "I'm going to toss this out because you clearly don't agree, but what does it matter? We have been sent here to do anything and everything to help these beasts and those beyond. If we don't do this now, many more will suffer because of his callousness. We're here to make sure good triumphs over evil. That is what I was trying to do. Look, I know this isn't exactly a moral or righteous move, but they haven't cared, so why should we? Especially if it means putting a stop to this sooner."

The mountain hare growled. Normally Lavaris' perseverance was needed, but right now? Good lord. "Dinnae get me wrong, there's practical reasons too… Like… There's a price tae everythin'. We cannae do that an' expect all tae go well. If this goes wrong, we're gonna be in even more danger. Why'd ye even choose me tae help, anyway? Ye know how I feel about this kind o' stuff."

Lavaris opened his mouth and immediately shut it. For a moment, Ahlrath swore that he saw a flicker of panic in the mouse's eyes, but it vanished almost as quickly as his smile. "Well, because I trust you more than the others. Did you think it was something else?"

"Really? That's it?"

"I swear."

Ahlrath scowled, searching the mouse's face for a sign they were lying. Unfortunately, he knew that Lavaris had a good poker face. Still, the timing of the whole conversation rubbed him the wrong way. The mountain hare sat back down and pulled his coat over his body. "Dinnae talk tae me. Ah'm going tae sleep. See ye tomorrow."

"Good night," Lavaris said weakly. Ahlrath gave a limp wave and headed towards the steps. Lavaris waited until the pawsteps stopped before growling and tossing the grappling hook back into the crate. "I thought you'd be desperate enough to help," he muttered. "Guess not." Lavaris pushed himself up and hobbled towards the window. He stared up at the manor and sighed. "God, it's not like I want to hurt the kid, but, come on, it would help everyone."

Lavaris stayed there for a moment before resting his head on the windowsill. What's done is done, and regardless of how that conversation ended up, somebeast still needed to keep watch.

Regardless if they fought or not, he and Ahlrath were still friends and he needed to protect his group.

Regardless of whether Ahlrath agreed, Lavaris still held to his beliefs. He would need to find some other way to end this, fast.

For the good of us all, Ahlrath…


3:59, Day 2


"For the good of us all," the squirrel repeated.

By the time Ahlrath and Toran reached the tower, it was too late. All hell would break loose, and Prisoner #13, Arthur Swiftpaw, given the nickname Art by Ravi, would be the one to drag them all into it.